At award-winning Charcut Roast House, Calgary's shrine to all things meaty, visitors can dine at a counter facing the kitchen. There, most eyes will settle on Connie DeSousa, the ballerina-turned-chef who charmed Top Chef Canada viewers with her grace and passion for sausage making. It won't be long, though, before they notice another big personality in the kitchen: John Jackson, the other half of the Charcut dream team, is a sweet, friendly force to be reckoned with.
A Regina native, Jackson taught himself to cook while his single mom worked multiple jobs to bring home groceries. By 10, little John was making cabbage rolls. By 14, he had a gig at Hotel Saskatchewan. Culinary school was next, then a job at Calgary's prestigious Owl's Nest, where Jackson was chef de cuisine and DeSousa was his young apprentice. Jackson went on to work in New York, Bora Bora and San Francisco, collecting awards before returning to Calgary to open Charcut with his fomer underling.
Today, the restaurant has succeeded beyond their hopes, but Jackson remains a down-to-earth guy who keeps the menu casual for visitors to his home. "I love to serve cabbage rolls on a cold winter day," he says. "I have a real emotional connection to the dish because of my childhood and my [German] heritage."